YEARS

The majority of ships of the Black Sea Fleet were sunk off the coast of Novorossiysk on 18—10 June 1918. V. I. Lenin will provide clarification on this at the IV Conference of Trade Unions and Factory-Shop Committees of Moscow (see V. I. Lenin. Complete Coll. Works, vol. 36, pp. 320—321, 463, 325—626; vol. 50, pp. 79—81; the present collection, p. 90).

EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH L. D. TROTSKY

[1918, June, not before the 15th]

In my opinion, it is necessary to prepare a statement for the press. The role of the Georgian government: they rejected the Brest Peace and are repeating the Ukraine [situation].

Who is this Kvirkelia? I don't know. Perhaps the report is inaccurate? I'm afraid it is accurate.

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1 The document was written on a telegram from the chairman of the Field Staff of the Southern Front V. M. Kvirkelia with a report on the landing of the first German landing force in Poti on 8 June 1918, on the arming by the Georgio-Muslim government of captured Germans, part of whom were landed in Sukhumi together with detachments of the Georgian government, threatening the Kuban Front and all Soviet forces in Transcaucasia.

RESOLUTION
ON THE TELEGRAM
OF THE POVENETS DISTRICT CONGRESS OF SOVIETS
[16 June 1918]

Moscow, Council of People's Commissars

The Povenets regular district Congress of Soviets sends its greetings and wishes for success to the fighters for the poorest peasantry, the proletariat, and a better future for all humanity.—Chairman of the Congress Bogoslovsky.

To the Press Bureau.

LENIN COLLECTION

TELEGRAM TO I. V. STALIN

[17 June 1918]

To Stalin

The orders sent to the fleet in Novorossiysk must be unconditionally executed. It is necessary to declare that for failure to execute them the sailors will be declared outlaws. It is absolutely necessary to prevent this mad adventure. Why did Shlyapnikov not go? Why did Vakhrameyev leave without having done anything? Where is Rasolnikov? An influential comrade must absolutely go to deal with those who are resisting. The promise which Ioffe gave to Kühlmann in our name must be unconditionally executed!

Lenin

Published according to the text written in the hand of G. V. Chicherin

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1 The telegram was caused by the continuing vacillations of the command of the Black Sea Fleet to carry out the government's order to sink ships at Novorossiysk (see the present collection, p. 88).

2 Apparently V. I. Lenin did not yet know that A. G. Shlyapnikov had departed for Yekaterinodur following a telegram of 13 June 1918 (see the present collection, p. 88).

3 I. I. Vakhrameyev, member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat for Naval Affairs, in accordance with a resolution of the Supreme Military Council, approved by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, departed for Novorossiysk with the instruction: "upon arrival, if by that time he does not receive a cancellation of the order, to proceed with the destruction of all vessels located in this port" (TsPA IML at the TsK KPSS).

4 F. F. Rasolnikov—Deputy People's Commissar for Naval Affairs, member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic.

5 A. A. Ioffe—Plenipotentiary Representative of the RSFSR in Berlin, headed the Soviet delegation for peace and economic negotiations with Germany.

6 Richard Kühlmann—from August 1917 to July 1918—State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Germany.

EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH G. V. CHICHERIN

[27 June 1918]

Ritzler orally informed me of a telegram from the German government: they would not wish to introduce their troops onto Russian territory, but at the same time they expect that Russia will fulfill its treaty obligations with respect to Murmansk.